The Things Between Us
by Hanikamiya Hana
Summary: Both Tino and Berwald are broken from centuries of battle and deceptions. Wary to trust anyone who has the burden and blessing of being a nation, they have put trust in each other, but can a misunderstanding between the two destroy everything they ever wanted and hoped for? It's a oneshot for now but I may pick it up for a story. Mildly fluffy with a small amount of swearing.


A/N: So I usually read on my phone with an app, and it made me want to pick this back up for myself. This story is heavily influenced by my personal favorite authors like Kisshulover1 and Lady-Pyrien. Love those two lol 3 This is only planned to be a one shot but I may continue it, but for now, onto the story~

**SONG TO LISTEN TO FOR THIS: Emille De Forest: Only Teardrops**

"Fine!" Tino yelled slamming the door to a certain blonde Swede's home. Tears threatening to fall from the corners of his eyes, making them shimmer and shine like jewels in the setting sun, which under normal circumstances would have taken his breath away. But not now, not after _that._ He hadn't expected things to turn out this way tonight, not that he expected it to be an easy or fun night when Berwald had said he wanted to talk to him. Nothing could have prepared him for what the man had actually had to say to him.

"Tino!" Berwald called after the Finnish man as he bolted into the woods. Tino wanted to be anywhere but there right then, he didn't think he could face the tall blonde man now. Not after he had pretty much told him to get out of his house. He swiped at the tears that stung his eyes and burned at his cheeks as he clumsily navigated his way through the brush and trees. He didn't know where he was going other than away from Berwald and that was fine by him. He felt betrayed by the tall man who had come to haunt his dreams and rule his thoughts. His chest burned and throat ached with the pain of stifled sobs and gasps for air as he ran from the stabbing pains of rejection and loss. He hadn't even had a chance to confront his feelings for the man before they turned on him and broke him, once again. He no longer had the strength to bare the pain, not after what he endured in Denmarks house. He thought things could be different here with Sweden, that the man held enough caring and compassion to at least forge a friendship between the two of them. Now he felt he had gotten his hopes up for nothing and that he had yet again put his trust in the wrong person.

"Tino!" He heard the giant steadily gaining ground on him yell in desperation, as though he actually cared what happened to Tino. Like this was breaking his heart too, but the Finn told himself he knew better than that. Tino shook his head and pushed himself harder, willing his heavy legs to move faster, for the wind to carry him away. Take him someplace safe and warm where no one hurt him or hated him. Unfortunately for him the only thing that picked him up were the strong arms of Berwald.

"Let me go!" Tino cried out, his voice breaking with pain and sorrow, "What do you care where I go, so long as I'm gone!?"

Berwald just shook his head and collapsed to his knees, dragging the smaller man with him, "Didn' mean ta make you cry, wife."

"I'm not your wife Sweden!" Tino bit back bitterly struggling to free his arms from the ones crossed over his chest, he felt the maddening urge to hurt Berwald back for the blow he had delivered to himself, "Why even call me that?! I'll never understand you!"

"B'cause I love ya, Tino." Berwald mumbled into his shoulder, a hot wetness beginning to seep through Tino's shirt making the man jump. He had never even imagined the swede crying, let alone crying into his shoulder, "I never meant ta hurt you."

"Bull shit Sweden!" Tino seethed, a wrath he himself could barely grasp burned at the back of his eyes, "You were ready to turn me out just a minute ago! Why even chase me! Perkele! Let me go!"

"No." Berwald growled tightening his grip on the struggling Finn, "I wasn' tryin' ta turn ya out, I would never! I just thought…"

"What did you think?" Tino demanded, not waiting for the man holding him to gather his thoughts and fashion a pretty lie to trick him with so he didn't feel so bad, "That I would love the idea of going out on my own so Denmark could drag me back to his place?! If you didn't want me here why would you take me in the first place? Why?!"

Tino's shouting died down as he started to come down from rage to a pitiful despair, "Why Berwald? Why do this to me? What did I do wrong?" Tears fell heavily down his face as he went limp in Berwald's arms. His teardrops steadily falling down onto the parched leaved, breaking the silence with a soft pitter patter. His words drowned out by all the noise in his head, memories of past hurt, and betrayal at the hands of others being joined by the flood of painful thoughts of Berwald tearing open all his old wounds, "I trusted you." His last words spoken as a broken whisper, not only meant for Berwald but for all the people he had trusted with his fragile heart, in friendship or otherwise.

"I have lived a thousand years, an' I only ever loved you." Berwald answered quietly, afraid that anything he said could not only break himself, but Tino as well, "I always loved ya… I never wanted to take ya fer myself. I never thought you would want ta stay here… not with me. I only meant to say you could go if ya wanted to… but, I'm not so good at talking. I always mess things up when they matter."

Tino went rigid in Berwalds arms, he tried to turn to face the man behind him but the arms around his waist kept him still, their owner knowing that if Tino turned to face him that the spell would be broken and Berwald would lose all the words he was fighting to get out and both of their hearts would stay broken.

"That's why I never told ya, I was scared I would make a mess of it, and look what I have done… Yer crying, and it's all mah fault. I saw ya at Denmark's house hurtin' an' cryin' all the time and I never wanted to see ya cry again. I wanted ta take ya far away but ya still never smiled here. Not honestly. I thought ya wanted ta go home, I didn' mean to make it sound like ya had ta. I want ya here, ya know, but only if yer happy bein' here." Berwald fumbled with his words, before sighing heavily and letting the Finnish man go, "I just want ta make ya happy, Tino."

Tino fell forward onto his hands and knees, berating himself for getting so carried away over something so silly. Berwald had never said anything ill willed towards him, Tino had just read into it too much and now… he had broken not only himself, but Berwald as well. He let out a shaky sob, he didn't know what to do! He felt so stupid and childish, he wanted to be held and comforted, but his guilt for the harm he'd done held him back. Tino let fresh tears fall as he let go of his thoughts and threw his arms around the giant crouched behind him. Berwald suddenly found himself with a shaking Tino pressed against his chest muttering apologies and half sentences that made no sense. Berwald was stunned for only a moment before he came to his sense and wrapped his arms around the trembling man before him, whispering sweet nothings into his hair. Telling him it would be okay, and he was okay. Berwald felt relief wash over him as he realized Tino wouldn't hate him forever, that he still had a chance to prove his worth to the beautiful, broken creature in his arms. He had a lot of work ahead of him if he wanted to heal the scars on Tino's heart, but to Berwald every second would be worth it. No one was as perfect as the man he held in his arms, no one as beautiful in the whole world over.

"God, I love you Tino." Berwald whispered into dove white hair, finally being able to say it openly felt like a weight off his shoulders, "Please stay an' let me prove it."

Tino nodded, hiccupping into the ex-vikings broad chest, too mentally exhausted to form any more meaningful words, "I'll stay."

Berwald smiled, a soft, small, genuine smile filled with love and warmth as he heaved the small Finn into his arms bridal style, "Alright, wife, ya need to get ta bed. Yer exhausted, and I am too."

Tino nodded, sleepily clinging to the fabric of Swedens plain T-shirt. He was burned out and embarrassed, but too numb now to do much else but let himself be carried back inside, where Hanatamgo yipped at all the excitement she had been missing. The warm homey smelling air of Sweden's house enveloping him and reassuring him that everything could be okay again was a welcome comfort as he was carried to his room.

Berwald blushed madly as he took off the Finns boots and helped him get his jacket off before setting the man into his own bed and pulling the soft comforter over his half asleep form. He jumped when a small delicate hand grasped at his forearm, pulling him close.

"Stay, mulkvisti…" Finland grumbled, tugging on the taller man's arm again. Sweden frowned at what he knew to be an insult.

"Ja, ja." Berwald sighed, "If ya want me to stay I will."

He clamored into bed with the other man, who wasted no time in claiming an arm as his own and burying his face in it, "I'm a mess."

"Ja, I know." Berwald answered softly, taking his glasses off with his free hand, "I still love you."

"Oot ihana." Tino murmured, letting sleep take him quickly. Berwald looked to the sleeping man questioningly, the word unfamiliar to him. He shook his head lightly before turning out the light on the nightstand and trying his best to join the man beside him in dreaming. He looked forward to the days to come with his love by his side, to the morning where he would wake to Tino in his arms after all this time. He fell asleep with a smile on his face, and hope for the future growing in his heart.

A/N: Alright there that is lol, thank you for taking the time to read 3 It's not very polished or well put together but I wanted to write something emotional. I may continue this at some point but for now, I wrapped it up as a one shot. I don't really speak Finnish or Swedish so my translations are rough but I try…

**Translations:**

Perkele: roughly means "fuck" It's a curse word.

Oot ihana: "you're lovely" a term of endearment sort of thing.


End file.
